Champlain Valley - Grapemans' vineyard - Planting to small winery

[grapeman]

Eiswein" of course

Unless it is "Vin de glace".

Either way I won't know about that- the grapes are all in! It is 25 outside again this morning. There was frost yesterday until noon. It is hard to get fermenting temps warm enough, but everything is either done fermenting or bubbling away happlily inside. I have a definite glass shortage right now!

 

[BonnieJoy]

They're predicting snow the next couple of days here in NE Indiana. Most of the grape leaves are done for the year. Wish I'd have waited until I had a wellto plant the vines. Things were looking good until the JB's started feasting on vegetation followed by the August drought.The biggest lesson learned was total organic isn't gonna cut it with JB's not to mention my site needed fertilization.

I'm networking now with a young horticulturist berry farmerwho is recommending a fertilization and spraying regimen for me next year.Does anyone on this forum use drip irrigation?

 

[grapeman]

Bonnie get us some pictures of your vines as they are now. I don't care how bad you might think they look. If I remember right, you just planted them this year. They should be between 2 and 12 feet long depending on variety and conditions to be normal. You will prune back almost to the ground next spring and the roots that developed as a result of the drought this year will feed them well and make them grow like you won't believe. While I agree you may need a touch of fertilizer and possibly a drip irrigation now and again, don't overdo it with the fertilizer and water or you will regret it for years to come. The vines will become rank and unmanageable growing like weeds and being a general pain to control.


I use some drip irrigation in the high tunnel greenhouse at Willsboro. It only supplies water where you want it and works well.


I agree with you that you will need some sort of control for the japanese beetles. For me the easiest solution is a light spray or dusting of Sevin (carbaryl). It is one of the safer and gentler pesticides and has been around for many years. 2 or 3 sprays of it is enough to control them for the season. It also works with Grape Flea Beetles and a variety of other insects. Just be sure to follow and obey all label recommendations and guidelines- especially around bees and water(especially with your pond close by).


Here's hoping your vines do great in the upcoming years!

 

[grapeman]

I transfered some more wines to glass today- at least as much as I had. I had to taste them as I went. Lots of different flavors and aromas! The Catawba is still actively fermenting and is turning a beautiful pink color and the smells are incredible. I added some to a fruity wine I had to carbonate it and it was quite good already!


I transferred the Chardonel to glass and it already started to clear. WOW, the flavors are incredible! I can't wait to see what it will be like in the end.


The vines are just about bare now and I will soon take some pictures to show Al and others the "Bones" of the vines. It is quite interesting to be able to see the structure unencumbered with leaves.

 

[grapeman]

I am glad the grapes are all harvested and bubbling along happily in their new homes- "it is going to snow in them thar hills!"  Actually we are expecting 2-4 inches of the white stuff tonight into tomorrow. The mountains to the west and east of us are expecting about a foot. It is already snowing 20 miles or so to the west and along with 40 mph winds expected, it sounds just plain nasty.
 
Most of the wine is in carboys or barrels now. I still have the Catawba bubbling merrily away along with the Niagara. I also have to press out the last of the Frontenac in a few days. I thought I could transfer the Catawba today, but it is still too actively fizzing away. That's probably a good thing since it is prolonging the fermentation- hopefully retaining that wonderful smell of the grapes. I'm hoping it will fit in a 20 gallon barrel and a couple six gallon carboys. Then all I need to do is find some carboys for the Niagara and Frontenac.

The leaves are about gone. This is one of the young Frontenac trained to VSP this year.

Edited by: appleman

 

[NorthernWinos]

That's quite a line up of carboys....Are your barrels and brutes worthy of a nice photo like that too????

We had that storm on Sunday....Strong North winds with gusts into the 50MPH range....We had blowing rain and occasional snow flakes mixing in...Some stuck on the grass for a very short time....It was miserable. Last night it got to 22*F for many hours...It was suppose to get into the teens...Glad it didn't I still have some veggies in the shed that need homes.

Button down the hatches...It's going to be very windy.

 

[AlFulchino]

i believe we are well over 150 gallons in thos pics.....when you get to a certain point like you are, one needs to either stop coounting ori think you need to find the numbers chart that has the infamous 'x'


all looking very good


did you put any gas in thos carboys that are less than full? ( i never have..just wondering)


thanks for the 'bones' picture!

 

[grapeman]

I, like you,am at the upper thresholds of home winemaking. To be fair though, some of those carboys belong to others that used my equipment to make their wine to bring home after racking a couple times to avoid the mess and use my equipement. Case in point- note the carboy hauler under one of them. I do however have plenty of topping up wine, but I am striving to keep within the 200 gallon limit for a household for a home winemaker. It has meant abstaining from making any kits this year- which I like to do for variety.


The carboys less than full are finishing up secondary fermentation and still emmitting C02, so no they haven't been gassed and will soon be condensed down.


I will give you more pictures of the bare vines when I get time to take them.

 

[grapeman]

Winter is quickly approaching and things are looking more like it. Here a a few pictures of the chages going on.

Example of VSP trained vines before pruning season next spring.

Here is a Traminette pruned to get cuttings. I kept a number of canes pruned long and will tie and adjust them in the spring.

If I want a couple batches of late cider or to make wine, I have some trees still hanging with plenty of apples. They look odd-no leaves and lots of apples.

Moving inside........

The Catawba wines. Notice how different carboys have dropped lees at differing rates and as such have different colors. The reddest one I pressed harder and got more color with it. They will be racked soon off the lees.

Some of the whites

And finally some of the boys on a heat mat for MLF to finish up

 

[AlFulchino]

great pictures, thanks for sharing....will you use any chitosin or other clarifying agents? i just did on some of mine after racking and two days later its like i have to rack again right away...i think however i wil let them sit a month before racking again because i have various oak applications sitting in the tanks and carboys anyways

 

[jobe05]

I see a label in the near future.....................

Bare Naked Apple.............

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[NorthernWinos]

Naked Apple is good!!!!

Had some punch at a Halloween part once....it was called 'Skip and go Naked' by the maker....Wishful thinking.

 

[RkyMtnWine]

Running out of backyard room. Picture on left is what I have now. Trunk up from ground about 8", I trained it to split so I had two going up.. Picture on right is what I have planned.... not sure if it will work. Planting two vines next to each other.. frontenac is one and oops forgot the name but it requires the frontenac for pollinator. Can I do this?

 

[grapeman]

With grapes, anything is possible. What do yoy hope to accomplish by doing this? You will only have half the crop of Frontenac and need to wait a few years to get a good crop from the other.

 

[RkyMtnWine]

space is a big issue.. in a sunny area, plan on expanding the garden area where I would plant these but it would be a squeeze. But if they dont mature at the same time it would not be a good move. Believe in timeI would be able to harvest enoughfor a gallon of each. Just a thought

 

[grapeman]

great pictures, thanks for sharing....will you use any chitosin or other clarifying agents? i just did on some of mine after racking and two days later its like i have to rack again right away...i think however i wil let them sit a month before racking again because i have various oak applications sitting in the tanks and carboys anyways

The reds are still undergoing MLF, sot they sit as is until done. I could clarify the whites after racking, but I will just let them sit after racking. I will be turning the heat off in there after MLF is done and let everything cold stabilize. As the tartarics precipitate out, they drag solids with them. Then if not clear, I might add something.


Good questions.

 

[Wade E]

Havent you had a frost that would kill the apples or do they still taste fine? There is a person not to far from my house that I discovered a month ago that had quite the supply of apples hanging which I will confront next year about this. If there are still apples there would they still be good?

 

[grapeman]

The apples on that tree are named Enterprise and are still good. They are a VERY late ripening apple and very hard. I could still pick them and they would be fine. The apples contain quite a bit of sugars and are like grapes. Some keep well after freezing (to a certain point). Think about the grapes that are made into icewine. I have picked these some years into December. Others turn to mush long before then. Check with your neighbor, they might still be good, depending on the variety. My sister keeps after me to pick them and sell. I could waste my time trying, but I have enough other things to do. We have about a million bushels of apples grown within our County here, so it is hard to be a small producer. Everybody wants to have bragging rights and buy from the big guys.

 

[Wade E]

I know they would be good when frozen just didnt know they would be good after thawing and refreezing like that after a few times. I will have to swing by that house that I normally dont go by and see if there are still any hanging. Looks like there are 2 huge trees and I dont think they do anything with them.

 

[grapeman]

It would be worth checking it out. They might be good. I wish you could come up and get some here. There are so many even the deer can't eath them all!